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Resolution rates on informal complaints to the PSC are 98 percent

Local Columns

The statistic that astounds me yearly at the Public Service Commission of West Virginia is our ability to settle thousands of cases on an informal basis and without resorting to lawyers or litigation of any kind. Our most recent report shows that we received more than nine-thousand-five-hundred informal complaints last year. These types of complaints happen when you have experienced a service interruption, when the service you have is poor, when you can’t get service, or if you have a billing issue that you cannot get resolved. You want to talk with somebody about it. You have ...

We can’t be weak

Letters to the Editor

To the Editor, An unpopular opinion, which I posted as a comment on social media. The person was complaining, rather bitterly, about Fourth of July fireworks causing issues for people with PTSD and other emotional problems: “I’m sorry you have this issue, and it’s not that I’m unsympathetic, but there have been many, many people with PTSD and other problems for many, many years. They just courageously dealt with July 4th, because they realized they were in the minority, and didn’t expect everyone else to kowtow to their own, personal issues. “So, they — considerately, ...

How many hoops must we jump through?

Editorials

What happened in Texas on July 4 was unfathomable. Flash flooding and its aftermath took the lives of —at this writing — approximately 120 people. Families and communities are devastated. Help from all corners is still desperately needed. And it is coming, even from the federal government, which rightly wasted NO time in quickly delivering a robust response. President Donald Trump approved Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s request for a major disaster declaration only one day after it was submitted. That activated Federal Emergency Management Agency resources and help for survivors and ...

Honoring those who make the ultimate sacrifice

Editorials

Our Ohio Valley has a tradition of honoring its sons and daughters who have stepped up to serve the nation through military service. Through various active veterans organizations, to numerous monuments and memorials, to community services and more, our residents always strive to honor that service and show our appreciation. Approximately 10 years ago, that effort took another step when a handful of residents in Weirton launched a veterans banner program as a way to visually display our civic pride for those who have served. In the years since, Weirton’s banner program has grown to ...

Buckle up!

Editorials

Seat belts. For the vast majority of us, putting on a seat belt when entering the car is second nature. But for some, apparently, the act remains optional — and that’s leading to fatal results. In West Virginia, the latest figures for seat belt use come from the end of 2024, where a 91.98 percent usage rate was recorded by the West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program. That means 8 percent of West Virginians — that’s more than 100,000 people — don’t wear seat belts on a regular basis. It’s worse in Ohio, where the statewide seatbelt usage rate of 85.2 percent ...

Keeping the tradition alive

Editorials

While the once-great facilities of Weirton Steel, and their successors, appear to be no more, that doesn’t take away from the history and traditions for which they stood. That includes an annual picnic where long-time steelworkers gather to reconnect and relive their experiences as they contributed to the building of America and the rest of the world. The Weirton Steel 25 Year Club has existed for more than 75 years, and, for much of that history, has organized a picnic for employees and retirees with at least 25 years in the local steel mill. It is a summer tradition which has ...